The silly one is that Belt Color
allows somebody to instantly know how good somebody is just by
looking at their uniform. Maybe. Not going to get into a debate over
this, except to compare it to a High School Diploma. One kid squeaked
by, and the other has had no mark below an A, ever, and is headed off
to a big deal University. They both are grads. Are they the same?
Promotions also act as motivation.
It's the reward at the end of a unit of training. This is more valid.
Many do work hard to become worthy of the next rank. Even in Gracie
Jiu-Jitsu, where the rank is pretty invisible to outsiders, people
work hard for it. Who cares how many little stripes are on a belt, or
what is printed on those stripes? The students care.
The last is the least understood, and
the greatest attribute to martial arts rank.
Often, I've thought I've known all
about a particular student. They are a certain way, and act in a
predictable manner. Strangely, almost everybody changes after a
promotion.
Take the promotions that happened
here last month. In particular, let's look at Ryan and Elizabeth.
Ryan earned his Blue Belt over a year
ago. He's a strong guy, and always rolled trying to use that
strength. It's as if he trusted his body more than he trusted his
training. Slowly, over time, he managed to relax during rolling and
became as much as I could handle. However, somehow, he always seemed
intimidated by my slightly greater experience.
He had a stripe added to his belt
last month. Almost instantly he changed. He started to trust what he
knew. I think that in his mind his promotion acted as confirmation
that he knew what he was doing. He has started beating me regularly.
His technique is much better than mine, plus he's bigger and
stronger, and he is totally relaxed in rolling.
Ryan receiving a silly little stripe
has released him to be vastly better than he was.
Elizabeth also received a stripe on
that same night. For a long time she was the smallest person in the
advanced class, and also the newest. Her attendance is as close to
perfect as can be imagined, and she seems to learn the material well.
I often go to her to get caught up if I miss a night or two.
In rolling, she only ever defended. I
guess it's hard being the 120 pound kid in a group of much bigger and
more muscled folk. In the last few months, she's been attacking more,
but only in a limited way. She was still always the defender.
Then she was promoted; again
validation. The other night she was rolling with Owen. Own is
much bigger than her, but he's new to the advanced class. Instead of
clamming up, Elizabeth went for it. She submitted him over and over,
and in between controlled every movement.
Later, in sparring with me, she still
liked to defend, but would then explode with an offense that was
extremely hard to handle. Sometimes she got me.
This is the finest aspect of rank in
the martial arts. In effect, you receive a new rank, and then expand
into it.
You become the rank you've been
given.
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